If you are rugby people you know what I mean. I played RU at school level and my local team back in the late 70's and early 80's. Saying that it doesn't excuse some of the poor skills i've seen from top level union players but the conditions dictate the style of play on show. Complain about this comment (Comment number 74). In conclusion I would not bet against one merged form of rugby in 50 or so years time. John my boy - for the love of Oprah, probably the easiest question that you've ever asked.Remove the tactical kicking aspect from play (as league does) and you remove a huge dimension and a myriad of opportunities for broken field play. And with that rebellion, the working class north was able to carve out its own domain. How good it is to be back on the air. Some great comments but saying league only has a single skill set is absurd. The Danes scored 45 goals in 8 games, but could only manage 1 against Scotland (they beat Gerogia 15-0 at home, and drew 0-0 with Scotland)Why do Scotland always seem to miss out by an impossibly small margin? The main difference between rugby league and rugby union in terms of gameplay, however, is in evidence after a tackle is made during play. How is the SIX Huddersfield players Supperleague rugby league rape case going The_Voice?In regards to the media. Complain about this comment (Comment number 68). But I can remember scrummaging for what seemed hours on a machine. However there is beauty and skill in the line out, scrum and rolling maul - skills which we should not dismiss just because one or two nations don't have a front row at present. On a different note, since I mentioned the competition above and it relates to last weeks blog: I feel absolutly gutted for your daughter John - missing out on qualification for next years world cup by a single point to Denmark, with 19 points out of a potential 24. The changes to the game in my view have not helped the free flowing game that I loved to play and the game has got worse to watch as a spectacle. In contrast, Rugby Union was often played in grammar schools, public schools and at university. Complain about this comment (Comment number 70), The most important difference between Rugby Union and Rugby League is the devastating effect the serious neck,shoulder and back injuries sustained by Union players in the scrum,ruck and maul has on their sex life.To be an accomplished erotic technician,the male body needs to be supple and able to twist and turn effortlessly in unusual positions.How many of those International Rugby Union players recovering from long term injuries(and there are many) are able to perform,if at all,to their partner's satisfaction?. In the late 1980s the Met police team was banned form the Mets own facilties - ironically they had to play at a RU club - money over the bar spoke for that club ! This is Leagues fault for not focussing on internationals enough. That is the Murrayfield question. John,I am a league fan who comes in peace.Please don't ever ask again which code is better! JohnI went from a junior (back row) unionist to professional (2nd/front row) leaguer in the early nineties and I'm pretty sure you would have loved it - once you had increased your fitness and got used to the increased physicality! I have spent my whole life without having watched TV on a Tuesday or Thursday night because, your honour, they are rugby training nights. If thats not enough usually the odd classing or assault will come next. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so. However after watching this year's tri-nations do I detect a change in mindset. League, of course, arose because working men needed paid to take time off their jobs to play rugby on a Saturday. Hardly any forwards now spend more than 50 minutes on the field. Union may benefit by adopting unlimited rotation of front row players.The argument that a good big one will always beat a good little one in league is ridiculous - thinking of boxing maybe?Take an example from union. 90K (only more than the biggest games in Union because of the venue), and the Super League Final approx 75k - but beyond that?Stade Francaise played 5 regular season games (not finals) at the Stade de France last season - all of them greater than 75K attendance. Rugby League is often considered the more physically gruelling and spectator-friendly of the two as it was designed to promote faster gameplay. Union is the beautiful game, while League, to my view at least, looks like a stripped down version of it, Complain about this comment (Comment number 21). Rugby Leagues advancement was also partly held back by the ridiculous position of the IRB to ban any player who dared give it a go. They don't and might as well be considered different sports.An acid test of similarity is whether each code could play each other. I would also love to see how hard Jerry Collins could hit if he didn't have to wrap his arms around. Explain. Why also was it banned in the police ??? Just different! Bring it on: we'll rejoice in those contests too. This game is growing all of the time. Its a complete role reversal and RU is suffering greatly because of it. A french(Senlis)point of view.Not the same historical, public schools versus working men class did not exist.In France, originaly as you know, Union was played mainly in south ouest in villages.Nowdays spread out the country, but the main thing(the reason i enjoy it so much compare to soccer), this sport is played by doctors, plumbers, electricians, engineers, farmers, etc...Excellent to meet people from different environments, help you to not to be narrow minded.So no private club, that is why were are so lucky to have facilities and pitches paid by the mairie (all the community).John, a recent debate about stadiums, a town like Senlis (15000 people) north of Paris (so, not the hot bed of rugby)we have 2 pitches and a club house, not with race tracks and athletics, exclusively for the PRACTICE of RUGBY.Rugby league not popular in France except in Perpignan. After that we introduced the ruck, mauls and then training just wrote itself. The union world cup isnt much better however the Lions series is the pinnacle. Complain about this comment (Comment number 23), The Bath v Wigan games were pointless and proved nothing. Rugby union uses an oval ball (a prolate spheroid). The whole 80 mins could be a series of kicks to touch and not much else.When 6-0 was a huge score, but it was still hugely entertaining and spellbinding.I will stick with what i know and what i love. Union fan first but I do love to watch rugby league. In Rugby Union, a score is worth 5 points and a drop goal is 3 points, whereas the League will award 4 points for a score but one point for a drop goal. In the United Kingdom, Rugby League is more popular in the north of England, whereas Rugby Union is more popular in the South. However the biggest disadvantage that Union has over league is the administration. Maybe a simplyfied version of the two will emerge. Complain about this comment (Comment number 40), Complain about this comment (Comment number 41). I never thought I would write this next line: I have missed Peter Wright. the biggest difference is that for the duration of rugby league u don't have rucks, that's the place gamers combat for the ball whilst a guy gets tackled. Rugby Union wins by a mile for me. If the ball goes out of play after such a kick, play restarts with a six player scrum, which is also the method of restart following most minor rules infringements. I enjoy both games but I do prefer Union. The difference comes from the larger emphasis on kicking in Union compared to the predominantly passing game of league (i.e the bullet like league ball is easier to pass while the slightly rounder union ball has a larger sweet spot for kicking). Rugby Union has the better athletes as it is more of an international sport (although they don't play it in the US or Canada). Complain about this comment (Comment number 35). sometimes i feel players are a lot happier to just take a tackle knowing that they will retain the ball than take a risk at creating something. The only problem in the old days was missing Top of the Pops and a potential Led Zeppelin, AC DC or Status Quo performance. Luckily the Scottish professional rugby teams have started playing on a Friday night too and we cover them on the radio so that's another night out. The two codes which were once united under the name of rugby football, after all, are now two very different animals. Rugby league is faster than rugby union, more skilful, and every player out there is an incredible athlete. I've seen some great RU games - mainly internationals - the fact a the result affects a nation makes it exciting, however for pure skills its RL everytime.The poster who say RL is boring - YOU'VE NOT WATCHED A LIVE GAME - GO AND WATCH ONE AND STOP BELIEVING THE RUBBISH YOU HAVE BEEN FED TO BELIEVE !! I don't know where you got that idea rugby players have no sex life because of rugby rucks, mauls and scrum. Complain about this comment (Comment number 54), Wow, interesting commentsAt coaching tonight in Glasgow - almost dark at half past eight! Lets keep that going- respect the differences in play and admire the stars who play these really tough games.The only thing i wish as a league fan is more coverage in the media. The rugby players can also scrum, ruck, maul, lineouts, clean out and follow and contest the ball. The sight of Munster controlling the last five minutes of a game from scrum and ruck to hold out for a win or to get the drop-goal / penalty to win it should not be dismissed. There's not a heck of a lot of difference. The Playing Field. Rugby union nowadays is one dimensional. Now looking at the candidates for the individual vote and I think most of them are spot on and are worthy choices. Complain about this comment (Comment number 3). Drop goals and penalties are each worth three points in rugby union, whilst in rugby league they return one and two points respectively. In the northern hemisphere though, over the past couple of seasons, Leagie is starting to become similar to the NRL. His immobility would be too easily exposed. To the point of the League positions being interchangeable, I agree to a certain degree as I am a Union Centre and a League prop - although I dont think I could do it the other way round, but I have played with people who can and have.Just in case you weren't aware, League is getting stronger in Scotland, with the Scotland Amateur side recently winning the 2010 Home Nations - now several amateur members of the squad now looking to be picked for the Full professional squad who are looking to be the 4th side in the 4 Nations competition in Australia later this year. Is the tactical element of rugby union with its lineouts and scrums and kicks for territory more appealing? Where in rugby I had to go and look for the ball and average 10 tackles a game, and that was a good game for 10 tackles. Its just that France were ejected from the Five Nations and had to settle playing rugby minors like Italy, Germany, Hungary and others. Complain about this comment (Comment number 61). a take and hit in union is used to suck players into the contact area in order to create space out wide in the next phase of play, however in league defences are reset before the next play due to players lying on top of the ball carrier. In ‘Union’ sides consist of 15 players, whereas in ‘League’ sides only have 13. The Pro14 table should probably be viewed through gaps in fingers of Scottish rugby fans. Scores and Scores of Scores. Rugby was never in decline in France before the war. Unfortunately for those who like a good back story, the tale of one William Webb Ellis picking up the ball during a game of football at Rugby School and thus inventing the sport of the same name is somewhat of a myth. I know this isn't the same context, but when I played touch rugby (bear with me) the leaguies where so much better than the union lads. Maybe not full on Union style scrums but some push and shove is always fun to watch along with the oligatory cry of "HEAAAAAAAAAVE!" Half of what union gets would see our coverage go up a hundred fold! Complain about this comment (Comment number 47). Union requires a far broader skillset across the team. If you watch the State of Origin series you see how league should be played. to me since Rugby union went open the game has lost its unpredictability on the field and become very sterile to watch. It is a thing of beauty and forward control can be as impressive as back play. "is it better to watch constant movement and a game where catching, passing, and tackling are the key skills? There's not a heck of a lot of difference. However, Unfortunately, I agree with #9 Fife_ger comments, about the boring French Rugby Union games too.The most annoying is, the style is the same for each country of the 6 Nations.Mainly because the game is professionnal, so top players from every country can adapt and play in every top clubs. This helped to create a strong class divide between the two codes. I enjoy both games although to be honest my heart will always be with Union. Complain about this comment (Comment number 42), Complain about this comment (Comment number 43). The_Voice says@PrestwickSure Saracens got 50,000 at Wembley.It's a disgrace that the hallowed turf should be churned up by seventeen stone beer-barrels.Twickenham would never allow football to be played there.Those 50,000 consisted mainly of refugee South Africans who fled their homeland when their garden-boys got the vote.Yes One_Eye leaguie, the Wembley Footbal stadium got 50,000 fans to watched a game between two English rugby clubs. Rugby is divided into two main “codes”; Rugby League and Rugby Union. Its 13 crazy but skilled flankers on a field with the pace of a centre in union. tv doesn't show everything that goes on in league. Half of what union gets would see our coverage go up a hundred fold! Complain about this comment (Comment number 22). Complain about this comment (Comment number 26). The pitch of the Rugby League measures between 112 and 122 meters long by 68 meters wide. that wouldnt happen in Union with amateur squad members making it into the 6N squad or the RWC squad.Now based in Budapest, I am back to playing Union as any form of rugby out here is still relatively unheard of! The main reason rugby league is the better sport is the speed of the game. i mean, they were knocked to the ground and they were up again in one second, but even in that intervening second, they were bucking and writhing and kicking. Or is it better to watch constant movement and a game where catching, passing, and tackling are the key skills? Complain about this comment (Comment number 64). Our Union serving isn't much better. Complain about this comment (Comment number 37). As for in the other direction, Ryan Hall and Kyle Eastmond, although I hope neither would go as they would be a massive loss. working men needed paid to take time off their jobs, https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/2307043.stm. Complain about this comment (Comment number 13), Complain about this comment (Comment number 14). However whilst the we continue to have a lot to learn about lines of running, aggressive driving with the ball and defence, we are improving and have caught up in terms of fitness which was always a major difference in the past - with the advent of professionalism. I do admit a league scrum is a waste of time but the game as a whole is incredible. Complain about this comment (Comment number 6). Complain about this comment (Comment number 65), Complain about this comment (Comment number 66), Both sports are magnificent days out with rivals and families joining together, one criticism of union however would be the price, £70 for Scotland top seats at their home 6 nations gamesI dont even want to know what Englands prices would beThat compared to the £30 top range seat that I had for the Super League magic weekend at Murrayfield 2 years ago and you can see where the value is, and this was for 3 games on a Sunday.That said its supply and demand and all 6 nations are near sell outs where as the majority of SL games are notBoth codes realise that apart from the premiership in England they are a minority sport and have started initiatives to try and spread the game like the Friday evening 6 nations matches and the SL Magic weekends at both Cardiff and Edinburgh, and that is to be appluadedOn field its hard to judge cause you are not comparing apples to applesLike John I watched Wigan demolish Englands and probably Europes top Union side Bath in a one off game of unionThen in the return when they switched codes put up a fairly good showing and excelled in the loose and counter attackThey only struggled in scrums mauls rucks and the line outThey were fitter better ahletes and had all round better skills and game awarenessHowever since Union has went proffessional the gap has narrowed to such an extent that most players could hold their own at either codesThe big difference however is that in the tackle League players need to do nothing except not knock on, and indeed many times they can engineer a penalty for holding or high tackle or slowing down the play the ball where as in union players are as likely to be penalised as they are to be awarded a penalty due to interpretation of refsThis is why teams kick far more and from far deeper cause its always safer playing in the opponents half defending or attackingA final point is that Union seem to be doing a far better job in spreading the game around the globeLook at some of the teams who play sevens and play very wellKenya,Portugal,Russia,USA,CanadaI think you have to look at all these factors if you want to decideBut for me my favourite ever players from both codes areJones 87 McCaw 07 Calder 90 Jeffreys 90 Williams 05 (thats Martin not Ali)So its Union and all the scavengers and dark art (cheats) back rows for me, Complain about this comment (Comment number 67). The reality is that teams such as Northampton Saints are averaging crowds of 12,500 a game for a stadium that holds...wait for it....12,500 a game. My opinion? Touch is very similar to league but the result was always one sided. The form of rugby which those Northern Rugby Football Union clubs developed would come to be known as rugby league; a sport which differs in a number of notable ways from rugby union. Complain about this comment (Comment number 56), Living in the North East, outside of the rugby league heartlands, I grew up playing union. poor yawnion fans, the most exciting tries scored at the english ground were scored by league players...shame.union never did anything for me - even less since the lad pretended to be bleeding to get a kicker on...heres an idea - why not go crazy and try score a try instead of lining up a kick, not only does it put your game into shame, it shows how boring it is when the sides go to that lengths to kick instead of spreading the play and going for it. Complain about this comment (Comment number 8). Brett Hodgson, about 11stone wet through won the 2009 Man of Steel. Having taught at a school where one boy was killed and another paralysed for life playing rugby,I always thought the aim of sport was to keep fit,not end up in a wheelchair. His ball carrying and defense would be amazing from 8 or 6 but he may struggle when the ball was on the floor.On a final note, I saw a study a year or so ago comparing the time the ball was in play in union and league matches. Gort2's comment that "Even playing RL on an RU pitch could 'professionalise' the pitch",reminds me of my teaching days at a Whites only school in Rhodesia back in the 1970's.On the occasions that the school played a Catholic school at Rugby where the Catholic school had selected a black boy in the XV (Church schools were allowed to have a small percentage of blacks),the following procedure was adopted:Each boy selected in the XV had to obtain written permission from his parents to allow him to play.Several parents refused (I'm not having my boy rugby tackled by a ni88er,they would say).The match had to be played at a sports club several miles away, and not on the school playing field. It will move closer and closer towards RL as having the ball in play is better than the crowd having it ! None of this has anything to do with the skill level of the League team but simply reflects how different the games are. My first arguement is that rugby league coppied union. Complain about this comment (Comment number 27). I also think union is the more tactical game, partially because of this wider range of skills. Playing the earliest form of the rugby game wasn’t the invention of the game, but rather the events that led to the game being coded are seen as the ‘invention’ of rugby. So, some event in France would make league more popular than rugby? league is now touch footy espeacially with forwards now only playing ten minutes before been replace by other forwards and so on. Rugby Union is not better than Rugby League, it’s different, although many of the skill sets needed are the same. They like League & Union in equal measure now which is a result for both codes I think! I agree with Lamont and Williams. though i have been spoilt watching shane williams for the last decade!union or league, which is better? Now that you’ve hopefully got a better understanding of the difference between rugby league and rugby union, you might well fancy taking in some action from either code in person. Average attendance at the 2003 RWC (same country - australia) was 38,000, while the average in France 4 years later was 48,000.For another comparrison, the 1998 FIFA World Cup in france had an average attendance of 43,500.In the list of best-attended International sporting competitions, 3 of the top 4 are Rugby Union - RBS 6N's (70,000), FIFA WC (49,000), RWC (47,000) and Tri-nations (44,000). Complain about this comment (Comment number 51). I certainly do. I watch their tackle technique, they way they drill their forearm into the face of the tackled player when he is on the ground, and their running lines. The major methods of scoring (tries, penalties and drop goals) are common to both codes but how many points each score is worth does differ. This may not sound like much of a difference, but it changes the game because it means teams are more likely to go for a try than to accept the penalty in League, whereas Union is more of a kicking game because penalties score so highly. League is primarily played in the Spring and Summer so they will experience a lot more dry days than Union players. It was only in 1996 that those laws where removed.Even playing RL on an RU pitch could 'professionalise' the pitch!Playing amateur RL could get you a ban. Tuqiri using his size to outjump Robinson and score and Robinson using his pace to outstrip the Aussie defence.Further examples from league - arguably the two best Super League half backs, Eastmond and Thompkins, both small. However these "tight skills" in particular are appallingly taught at school and a young level. Having played both games to a resonable standard for me Rugby League is a more exciting game to play and watch. Therefore I declare union the king of rugby. And like JB I have began to appreciate certain aspects of the game and enjoy the pace, tackling and high level of skill(s) involved. In rugby league, you have 13 players on a team while rugby union teams have 15 on the pitch. It will be called rugby league. I loved both games but chose rugby as it is NZ's national games and the university I went to was all rugby and no league. looks like bias is alive and well but the need for both sports to compete in an ever conjested market place will make them both change and develope. 1. Rugby is all action for 80 minutes. Ask Gareth Thomas and I'm sure he will tell you otherwise. Rugby union is capable of producing a diverse range of kicking styles. league is probably a bit more free flowing but i prefer union. League's hotbeds are the North of England, the cities of Australia and New Zealand, and some large swathes of Papua New Guinea. !Perhaps RU journos should write about the lack of blackplayers in RU unitl fairly recently or why there have been so many RU rule changes(RU needs to look like RL as its rulers are ruled by money). There's more to Union than the big, fast blokes monotonously bashing through the little, slow blokes, and long may it remain so. Rugby League vs Rugby Union. One of my (many) issues with rugby league is the way that players basically need one set of skills and that's it. While I'm a much bigger League fan than Union, both codes can have their good and bad games. You can still see Wigan's three breathtaking tries on YouTube. Could the Challenge Cup Final fill the Stade de France or the San Siro? The bravery taking the ball into contact at full speed is admirable, and their ability to spot an overlap shows a vision that not many union players possess. Rugby union was originally referred to as rugby football. Great article...the answer is that of course both codes are simly great. A RL 'prop' requires pretty much the same skillset as a RL 'full back'. even the rugby league world cup isnt that great. Don’t get me wrong, the Union game does have its moments of ball-in-hand brilliance, but it’s usually an exception, not… No English club got a crowd that low in the Guiness premiership last year. 2003 RWC Final, Lote Tuqiri and Jason Robinson, both league converts, both outstanding in the match. Complain about this comment (Comment number 20), John: No contest! The study also allowed for 'time off' so the figures apply to actual playing time noninclusive of stoppages. Go easy on me out themselves enough usually the odd classing or assault will come next a diverse range skills... A highlight sport to play and watch nearly all the other professionalism within the game and was. 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